The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-12-29
OWLS AND THEIR WAYS
a Hunter Discourses of q Curious
Kind OF Game.

Pennsylvania mountains" said we'll
known sportsman, "and was passing
cautiously along an old road leading
through deserted and grOwn-up clear
ing, when suddenly the report of gun,
unpleasantly near, came from the brush
on one side of the road. A great rush
of futtering wings followed the report,
and the next instant a horned owl. OF
boot owl, fell dead almost at my feet.
A moment later tall, gaunt, rough
clad, but intclligent-looking man made
his way through the brush, and stepped
out into the road. After recovering
from the surprise at seeing me there SO
Unexpectedly and apologizing for shoot
ing in such dangerous proximity to me,
he picked up the owl, examined it crit
IDEALLY and said:
"'An unusually fine specimen, and
one for which some collector will have
10 pay well before he gets it
ANY one who has trampcd much
through the woods knows how seldom
1t is that he sees an owl of any descrip-
lion. and how equally rare it is TO get
a shot at hawk. although many may
be seen. Imagine my surprise, there
fore, when the backwoodsman informed
me that he never went out cunning
without hag@ing three or four owls and
as many hawks.
But, then, there is a reason for it. ;
said the stranger. 4 hunt nothing but
owls and hawks, and, besides the profit
Jhere is in il, strange as it may seem to
you rs hunter of more approved
game. there is no sport more exciting.
There has been for many years great
demand for hawks and owls. a regular
craze seeming to exist, until within a
gear or two past, for collecting speci-
mems Of these birds for mounting, and
the consequence has been that wise
hunters took up the business of supply
ng this demand, and | am one of them.
"'There are two good reasons why
The everyday hunter seldom if ever
sees az owl in his tramps. One reason
that Ime owls can not see by day,
and therefore select hiding places
which render their discovery next to
impossible as person passes casually
through the woods. The other reason
5 that there are some owls that see by
Hay as well as by night. These double
heir haunts long before he can possibly
see them, and they lose no time in seek
ing places of greater safety. 1t may be
news to you that there are owls whose
eyesight does not depend on darkness
% be of use, hutit is q fact nevertheless.
I believe that the screech owl, the long
cared owl and one or two other species
hat l do not just now recall, are the
only members of the family that are
blinded or partially blinded by the
light of day. The others, among them
The boot owl, the snowy owl. the hawk
owl, and the s;lort-eared owl, are all
sharp-sighted, both by day and by
aight. When You know how to hunt
owls it is no trouble to find them, for
they are to be found almost everywhere.
The short-eared owl is a great field
mouse hunter in wheat or rye stubblc.
lie is among the first of the family of
winter owls that come down from the
north TO forage in this latitude. OF all
Inc owls he gives the most sport to the
hunter. There is piece of wheat stub
bic beyond this old clearing. l am al
most certain to flush Il flock or two of
these birds there. for they always hunt
in flocks, and l don think that stubble
has been disturbed by any hunter vet
this fall. If You woald like to enjoy a
new sensation in hunting. walk along
with me and help me beat the stubble'
Il WAS only too glad to be initiated
in this entirely new branch of cunning,
and went with the talkatiye woods
man. The field was but n short dis
tance away. The owl hunter stationed
anc 'on one side of the field.
keep your dog by YOU said he.
for we don't want any dog to help us
in owl-hunting. Keep sharp eve out,
Cor you will be startled and surprised
when yon see how short-eared owl
lushes.'
"The hunter. with his gun ready.
walked cautiously about in the Stubble.
Presently three large birds arose from
the ground good gun-shot distance
from him. As white as ghosts and as
swift rs shadows. they glided away. a
lew feet above the stubble. The owl
hunter fired, and one of the birds fell.
was much nearer to them than he was,
but did not get a shot, so quickly had the
strange birds appeared from out the
'stubble and so quickly flashed from out
my sight. This was indeed a new SEN
.sation in hunting. and an exciting one,
too.
THAT is my first short-ear of the
season, said the hunter. picking up his
game. 1t is little early for them.
Later on it will be no uncommon thing
to find them in fiocks of ten or dozen.
If you had flushed three pheasants as
those three owls were flushed, the noise
of their wings could have been heard
Tor half mile, as you well know. You
might scare up three hundred of these
owls at once, and they would make
scarcely any more noise than SO many